Monaco

Prehistoric animals, fossils, Prince Albert I on stamps of Monaco


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Contents:
Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a sovereign city-state and microstate, located on the French Riviera in Western Europe. France borders the country on three sides while the other side borders the Mediterranean Sea.
Monaco has an area of 2.02 km2 and a population of about 37,800; it is the second smallest and the most densely populated country in the world. Monaco is known as a playground for the rich and famous, due to its tax laws.
Monaco is a principality governed under a form of constitutional monarchy, with the Prince from Grimaldi family as head of state.
The House of Grimaldi have ruled Monaco, with brief interruptions, since 1297. The state's sovereignty was officially recognized by the Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 1861, with Monaco becoming a full United Nations voting member in 1993.
Despite Monaco's independence and separate foreign policy, its defense is the responsibility of France. However, Monaco does maintain two small military units. [R1]

The first postage stamps of Monaco were issued on July 1, 1885 and featured the image of Prince Charles III of Monaco.
In 1937, the principality responded to a growing interest from philatelists by creating a Stamp Issuing Office.
The 1949 accession of Prince Rainier III led to increased importance for the principality’s philatelic issues. During his reign, the prince was personally involved in all aspects of the design and format of the principality’s philatelic issues, and he was quoted as stating that stamps were “the best ambassador of a country.” The prince was a noted philatelist and his collection was the basis of Monaco’s Museum of Stamps and Coins.
Monaco joined the Universal Postal Union in 1955 and PostEurop in 1993.
[R2]
Interesting fact: The Post Authority of Monaco uses a standard commemorative cover for the FDC of various stamp, for example these FDCs from 2016;
FDC of Monaco 2016




Official stamps of Monaco related to Paleontology and Paleoanthropology: fossils, prehistoric animals

23.05.1985 "25th anniversary of Scientific Research Center of Monaco " [1] 02.10.2000 "40 years since opening of Anthropological Museum" [2] 01.06.2010 "Institut de paleontologie humaine 1910-2010" [3]
Fossil of prehistoric fish Mene rhombea on stamp of Monaco 1985 Skull and jaw of cave bear on stamp of Monaco 2000 Prince Albert I, Abbe Bruil and Institute for Human Paleontology museum on stamps of Monaco 2010
24.06.2016 "Centenary of excavations at exotic Garden cave" [4]
Prince Albert I, flint tool and goat fossil on stamp of Monaco 2016

Notes:
[1] Fossil of prehistoric fish Mene rhombea is shown on the left side of the stamp. During the Middle Eocene (Lutetian epoch), about 48 to 40 millions of years ago, these fishes lived in the Tethys Ocean, a large tropical sea in the area corresponding to the current Mediterranean. [R6]

[2] Skull and jaw of cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) shown in bottom-left corner of the stamp. The cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) was a species of bear that lived in Europe during the Pleistocene and became extinct about 24,000 years ago.

[3] Joint issue with France:
Portraits of Abbé Breuil and prince Albert I, building, Neanderthals in front of cave.

Prince Albert I on joint issue of France and Monaco

[4] Portrait of Prince Albert I, hand axe, skull and antler of an alpine ibex from the Garden cave.
The Alpine ibex (Capra ibex), also known as the steinbock, bouquetin, or simply ibex, is a species of wild goat that lives in the mountains of the European Alps.



Other stamps of Monaco to consider: Natural History Museums, contributors to Paleontology and Paleoanthropology science, Prince Albert I

There are many stamps of Prince Albert I issued in Monaco. Only stamps where Prince Albert I is shown in Anthropologic or neutral contents are listed below.
Stamps where Prince Albert I shown at Polar expedition, Ocean Museum, fishing etc. are ignored.
1891-1894 "Definitive Stamps" 1901 "Definitive Stamps" xx.10.1914 "Red Cross"
Prince Albert I on definitive stamps of Monaco 1891 Prince Albert I on definitive stamps of Monaco 1901 Prince Albert I on definitive stamps of Monaco 1914
01.01.1920 "Definitive Stamps" 05.03.1920 "Definitive Stamps" 01.01.1922 "Definitive Stamps"
Prince Albert I on definitive stamps of Monaco 1920 Prince Albert I on definitive stamps of Monaco 1920 Prince Albert I on definitive stamps of Monaco 1922
15.07.1922 "Local motifs" [A1] 05.08.1924 "Definitive Stamps" 18.02.1928 "International stamps show in Monte Carlo" [A1]
Prince Albert I on stamps of Monaco 1922 Prince Albert I on definitive stamps of Monaco 1924 Prince Albert I on stamps of Monaco 1928
10.12.1942 "Portraits of former rulers of Monaco" [A1] 05.03.1949 "100th anniversary of Prince Albert I" [A1] [2] 06.11.1980 "Paintings from the princely palace" [A1]
Prince Albert I on stamps of Monaco 1942 Prince Albert I, Institute for Human Paleontology, Antropology Museum, aurochs from Lascaux cave on stamps of Monaco 1949 Prince Albert I on stamps of Monaco 1980
11.02.1983 "50 years of exotic garden, Sightseeing of Monaco" [A3] 06.05.1998 "150th anniversary of Prince Albert I" [A1] 08.02.2002 "100th anniversary of Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology" [A1] [A3]
Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology on stamp of Monaco 1983 Prince Albert I on stamps of Monaco 1998 Prince Albert I at Anthropology museum on stamps of Monaco 2002
02.02.2022 "Admission of the Prince Albert I ot the Institut De France" 26.02.2022 "Centenary of the Speech On The Ocean From Prince Albert I" 12.04.2022 "Monegasques gift monument to Albert I"
Prince Albert I on stamp of Monaco 2022 Prince Albert I on stamp of Monaco 2022 Prince Albert I on stamp of Monaco 2022
06.09.2022 "120 Years of the Museum Of Prehistoric Anthropology of Monaco"
Prince Albert I and the Museum Of Prehistoric Anthropology of Monaco on stamp of Monaco 2022

Notes:
[A1] One of most popular persons depicted on stamps of Monaco is Prince Albert I.
His portrait appeared on many definitive stamps from 1891 to 1922, when he governed the principality of Monaco, as well as on some other commemorative stamps between 1922-1942 and even later.

Prince Albert I of Monaco who had a keen interest in the origins of man and who founded the "Institute for Human Paleontology" in Paris that was responsible for a number of archeological digs.
He founded the "Institute for Human Paleontology" (IPH) in Paris that was responsible for a number of archeological digs.
The first scientific establishment of this type in the world, the IPH, situated in Paris, came into being in 1910 under the patronage of Prince Albert I. Establishment of the Institute was the result of Prince Albert I meeting with two of the most famous founders of contemporary prehistoric archaeology, Professor Marcellin Boule and Abbe Henri Breuil.

Prince Albert I on commemorative stamp of Monaco 1922 Prince Albert I on commemorative stamp of Monaco 1942 Paleoanthropology related stamps of Monaco 1949
Prince Albert I on one of the stamps from "Indigenous motifs" set of Monaco 1922 MiNr.: 54, Scott: 40 Portrait of Prince Albert I among portraits of former Rulers of Monaco MiNr.: 286, Scott: Portrait of Prince Albert I, MiNr.: 368, Scott: C24; Building of Anthropology Museum, MiNr.: 367, Scott: C23; Building of Institut de paleontologie humaine in Paris, MiNr.: 366, Scott: C22; an Aurochs from the famous Lascaux cave, MiNr.: 364, Scott: 244;
The IPH takes on several missions: to manage extensive prehistoric excavation sites, to carry out field and laboratory research, to preserve a rich prehistoric heritage, to diffuse and develop scientific culture, to provide facilities for students and researchers. [R4] [R5]


[A2] In March 1949 Post Authority of Monaco issued a set of 15 stamps "100 anniversary of Prince Albert I".
There are 4 stamps of the set related to Paleo-Philately:
  • 50f. - portrait of Prince Albert I
  • 40f. - Building of Anthropology Museum in Monaco [A3]
  • 25f. - Building of Institut de paleontologie humaine in Paris
  • 18f. - An aurochs from the famous Lascaux cave

[A3] Building of Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology depicted on stamp with face value of 3,30f.
Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology on stamp of Monaco 1983
Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology on stamp of Monaco, MiNr.: 1575, Scott: 1365.
The Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology was founded by Prince Albert I in 1902 “to conserve traces of early humankind exhumed in the Principality and neighbouring regions.”
The numerous collections which have been brought together in the Museum over more than a century represent the various phases of regional prehistory and protohistory. The majority of the archaeological and palaeontological exhibits come from the Principality and neighboring areas (France and Italy). The collections on display enable visitors to trace the major steps in the evolution of humanity through the various glacial and interglacial periods. They teach us that over a million years ago, the French Riviera was already a favoured habitat for our ancient ancestors. [R3]



Commemorative postmarks of Monaco related to Paleontology

Legend is here
24.06.2016 "Centenary of excavations at exotic Garden cave" [3] [FDC] 17.05.2021 [DU] "Institut de paleontologie humaine" [Sp]
Skull of Mammoth on postmark of Monaco 2021




Some other commemorative postmarks of Monaco to consider: Natural History Museums, flit tools, contributors to Paleoanthropology

Legend is here
01.06.2010 "Institut de paleontologie humaine 1910-2010" [2] [FDC] 11.12.2010 "Institut de paleontologie humaine 1910-2010" [Sp] 17.07.2017 "Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology of Monaco" [A3][Sp]
Institut de paleontologie humaine on commemorative postmark of Monaco 2010 Institut de paleontologie humaine on commemorative postmark of Monaco 2010 Institut de paleontologie humaine on commemorative postmark of Monaco 2017
xx.06.2020 [DU] "Institut de paleontologie humaine" [Sp] 01.02-05.02.2020 "Centenary since death of Prince Albert I" [Sp] 02.02.2022 "Admission Of The Prince Albert I To The Institut De France" [FDC]
Flint tools and building of Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology on meter franking of Monaco 2020 Prince Albert I on commemorative postmark of Monaco 2022 Prince Albert I on commemorative postmark of Monaco 2022
26.02.2022 "Centenary Of The Speech On The Ocean From Prince Albert I" [FDC] 06.09.2022 "120 Years of the Museum Of Prehistoric Anthropology of Monaco" [FDC]
Prince Albert I on commemorative postmark of Monaco 2022 Prince Albert I on commemorative postmark of Monaco 2022



References:



Acknowledgements:
Many thanks to Dr. Peter Voice from Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University, for reviewing the draft page and his valuable comments.


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